


I Saw Papa Kissing Santa Claus

by j__writes



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic, M/M, Magnus POV, Max POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 13:16:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17081009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j__writes/pseuds/j__writes
Summary: “I heard a noise and so I snuck out. He didn’t see me but I saw him. I saw Santa and then I saw Papa and he kissed Santa, Raf.”





	I Saw Papa Kissing Santa Claus

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Italiano available: [HO VISTO PAPI BACIARE BABBO NATALE!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17133749) by [kate_kate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate_kate/pseuds/kate_kate)



There’s a thump that comes from the living room and Max’s eyes pop open at the sound. 

“Raf?” he whispers into the dark room. “Raf, did you hear that?”

He looks over at his brother’s bed and sees him curled up, facing away from him, fast asleep.

“ _ Raf?”  _ he lets out the quietest shout he can and that’s when he hears the sound again.  He bunches the sheets up to his neck and swallows. 

“Be brave, Max,” he whispers to himself. He takes in a breath and throws the covers back to get out of bed. He passes by Raf’s bed and tries one last time to wake him. “Raf?”

“Go away, Max,” his brother mutters, swatting him away. 

Max huffs and continues on his way out of their room, opening the door only a crack, and squeezing his way through. The door creaks and he stops, scared, and looks over his shoulder at his parents’ bedroom door that’s closed. His dads would be so mad if they knew he was out of bed on Christmas Eve but there’s a sound and it could be something scary or… he smiles when he realizes that instead of something scary, it could be something great.    


There’s a soft thump again and Max murmurs a quiet, “Santa Claus,” under his breath.

He tip-toes down the hall, making sure to go around the squeaky part of the floor. This is how he and Raf sneak out of their room at night on some weekends to watch TV after their daddy and papa are asleep. And now he’s going to see Santa Claus and Raf isn’t because he was too lazy to wake up. He sniggers behind his hands and creeps slowly down the hall. 

He reaches the corner, back pressed against the wall, and slowly - very slowly - lowers himself to the floor. He can hear the sound of wrapping paper rustling and the sound of ornaments tinkling together. 

_ I’m going to catch Santa,  _ he thinks. He smiles wide and carefully - as quiet as a mouse, just like Raf taught him - peeks around the corner. 

His mouth falls open and his heart is beating fast with excitement; he rubs both eyes with his fists because he can’t believe what he’s seeing. It’s Santa! He looks exactly like the pictures. He’s wearing a red suit and he even has a big beard as white as snow.  He’s tall like his daddy and he’s holding presents, carefully putting them down one-by-one. He’s better than Max ever imagined and Max wonders just how much trouble he’ll get in if he goes and talks to him right now. Surely, Santa wouldn’t tell on him. 

He’s about to stand when he sees his Papa walk in from the kitchen. Max lowers himself closer to the floor. Now Papa caught Santa Claus too. Max holds back a giggle because he and Papa both caught Santa. He waits and watches, he wants to see what his Papa is going to say to Santa Claus. He wonders if he’s going to tell Santa about how good he and Raf have been this year. How they have kept their room clean and did all their chores without having to be asked more than three times. Papa will tell him. Papa always tells everybody about how good they are. 

Max stays still. He watches his Papa who is smiling in that lovey-dovey way he does around Daddy when they get all mushy and gross and kiss each other. Max hates it when they do that at the grocery store but he loves when they do it because they look so happy. And Papa looks happy as he walks up to Santa, he’s holding a twig or leaf or something in his hand, twirling it between his fingers. He pats Santa on the shoulder and then holds the bush thing over their heads. Yes, Papa told them about this it’s called… it’s called… missile toes! And you use it for—Max covers his mouth to hold back the scream he can feel trying to come out. 

_ Papa is kissing Santa Claus!  _

He looks over his shoulder at his Daddy’s room.  _ Oh no _ , he thinks.  _ This isn’t good. _ Missile toes are for people who are in love. He should go wake Daddy up. Santa’s chuckle is loud and it almost sounds like Daddy’s and he looks back because maybe Daddy is in there… maybe Max’s eyes were playing tricks on him— he did forget to put his glasses on—nope, still Santa. Max gulps. And now… now Papa is tickling Santa under his beard. 

Max’s stomach makes this weird squeezing feeling inside him and he can feel his face getting hot. He crawls backwards and quickly, but carefully, goes back to his room, closing the door softly behind him. He runs to Raf’s bed. This time, he isn’t gentle; he grabs his brother’s arm and he shakes. Shakes him with all his might.

“ _ Raf!”  _

Raf jumps awake and looks down at him, confused, and then wipes his eyes. “Max, what are you doing?”

“Shh!” Max whispers. “I have something to tell you and it’s not good.”

Raf stares at him, wide awake now. “What’s wrong?”

Max looks over his shoulder at the closed door, he waits a second to make sure no one is coming and then turns back to his brother. “I saw Papa kissing Santa Claus.”

Raf blinks. “What?”

“I heard a noise and so I snuck out. He didn’t see me but I saw him. I saw Santa and then I saw Papa and  _ he kissed Santa, Raf. _ ”

Raf’s eyes glance at the door behind Max and then he shakes his head. “You must have been dreaming, Max.”

Max shakes his head fast. No, he knows what he saw and his brother is supposed to believe him, always. “I wasn’t dreaming,” Max growls out. He balls his fists by his side. “Papa is kissing Santa right now. Go look. I’ll show you.”

He starts to stomp away but Raf grabs his arm. “No,” his brother says, firm. He sounds like Daddy when he does that and Max hates it when Raf tries to act like Daddy. He’s twelve. He’s not an adult. He’s not even a teenager. “You’re going to get us both in trouble. Get back in bed.”

“But Papa is kissing Santa!” Max says louder this time and Raf covers his mouth with both hands, holding them there firmly. 

“Sh! Go to bed, Max.”

Max licks Raf’s hand and it works to get his brother’s hands off of his mouth. 

“Ugh! Stop being so gross!” Raf wipes his hand on his Christmas tree pajama top. “Anyway, you’re not even wearing your glasses, maybe it was actually Dad.”

“In Santa’s suit?”

“Dad has red pajamas,” Raf says with a shrug.

“And what about his beard, hm? Did Daddy’s beard turn white and grow really really long?”

Raf rolls his eyes.

“I’m gonna go wake Daddy up,” Max says, smiling triumphantly, because he knows his brother can’t argue with that. Their daddy has a black-brown beard, and Raf knows it. 

Raf shakes his head firmly.  “Absolutely not.”

“But Raf—”

Raf shakes his head again. “You’re going to make Santa take our presents away.”

Raf is making his serious face—the one he gives Max when he wants Max to behave. He only ever uses it when it’s absolutely serious so Max sighs. But he really wishes his brother would believe him right now. He knows what he saw, even without his glasses.

“I’m telling the truth,” Max whispers.

Raf nods. “Let’s just go back to sleep, okay?” Raf says gently and pulls Max towards his bed. “We can talk to Dad and Papa tomorrow.” 

Max gives in, he doesn’t want to get his brother in trouble because he was the one out of bed, so he climbs up into the bed and lays down beside him.

“I really did see Papa kissing Santa Claus,” he says once more, just in case it might make his brother believe him. 

Raf shushes him and Max closes his eyes.

He’ll tell Daddy tomorrow. Daddy will believe him.   
  
  


* * *

 

Magnus tucks himself against Alec’s side on the sofa, his cup of coffee warm in his hands. “I’m really surprised the boys didn’t wake us up this morning,” he says, craning his neck a bit to look down the hall at their closed door.

Every year they’ve woken up to the boys jumping on their bed with happy shrieks over Santa visiting them overnight. He hates to think that those days are past them now. Rafael found out last year that Santa wasn’t real because of some YouTube video. Magnus never hated the internet so much before but Rafael promised to keep the secret for Max. Magnus knows it’s only a matter of time before Max finds out and then the magic of Santa and the tradition of Alec wearing a Santa Claus suit while putting their gifts under the tree will be over. Their boys are really growing up too fast. 

Alec hums as he sips his coffee. “Yeah, that is weird,” he says after a moment and just then the door down the hall creaks open. 

Magnus waits for the rush of footsteps and the smiling faces. The first to enter is Rafael who smiles at them warmly. His black hair sticking out in all directions, just like his dad’s.  
  
“Merry Christmas!” he and Alec say at the same time and Rafael gives them each a hug and kiss before taking a seat beside the tree. He’s the calm and more reserved one out of the two. Magnus sets his coffee mug on the table and prepares for Max, their wild child, and the always overly excited hugs and kisses he gives that Magnus loves so much. 

Not even a minute passes and Max walks in, he smiles at them and then runs to Alec’s arms and squeezes his neck tight. And the straining sound of pure unabashed love of a child makes a warmth settle in his chest. He never knew he could love anyone so much until Alec came along. And then Rafael. And then Max. 

“Merrrrry Christmas,” Alec groans out when he squeezes Max back. 

“Merry Christmas, Blueberry,” Magnus says leaning in for a hug that Max quickly slips out of, hopping off Alec’s lap and crossing over to sit beside Rafael, not even bothering to look at Magnus when he says a quiet and completely unexcited “Merry Christmas” to him.

Alec seems to notice too because he glances at Magnus, worry pulling a frown from him and Magnus shakes his head to let him know that they should let it go. Obviously Max is just excited to open his gifts and that’s fine. Magnus won’t let one small rejection ruin their morning. 

“Who’s excited to see what Santa brought?” Magnus smiles cheerfully but is cut short by a quiet huff from Max and he’s pretty sure he catches Max muttering a quiet  _ ‘I hate Santa’  _ under his breath. 

Raf’s eyes widen when he meets Magnus’ eyes and then he glances at Max and whispers, “Max, cut it out.” He elbows his brother and Max rolls his eyes, a mannerism that is so Alec-like it’s equally endearing and frustrating. He grabs a gift with his name from under the tree and proceeds to open it with the most unenthusiastic demeanor Magnus has ever witnessed on a Christmas morning. 

Alec looks at Magnus again and Magnus can tell there’s nothing that’s going to erase the worry from him now until they figure out what has Max behaving like this. 

“Max, is everything okay?” Magnus asks and is met by silence.. 

Magnus pulls in a deep breath because he can do this, he can take the rejection and dismissal of his seven year old son and not take it personally. 

“Max?” Alec tries and it works because Max’s little head pops up to look at his dad. “You okay?”

Max nods, gives him a small smile and goes back to his gift. His smile grows wider and he gasps when he sees the Lego set he’s been asking for. Magnus and Alec each open a gift from each other and then watch Rafael open his next gift, a microscope he’s been asking for for months, that has him beaming.

Magnus grabs the next gift. “Here, Blueberry, open this one.” Magnus leans forward, holding out a silver wrapped present and Max continues to look over the Lego set box in his lap. 

Rafael gives Magnus a soft, understanding smile and takes the gift from him. “Here, Max,” he says sweetly, handing the gift to his little brother.

Magnus doesn’t even hold his breath because he knows Max is going to acknowledge his brother and he does. He takes the gift and begins to open it. 

_ Okay _ , Magnus thinks.  _ This is personal. _ Max is upset with him and he has no idea why. 

Alec frowns at the exchange and gestures at Max with a tip of his head for Magnus to try again. 

“Who wants hot chocolate?” Magnus announces with a smile, gathering his and Alec’s coffee mugs. 

Rafael’s hand shoots up. “Ooh! Me! I do!” 

Max stays silent, even though hot chocolate is his favorite. 

“Max, do you want hot chocolate?” Magnus asks. 

The silence drags on what feels like forever before Alec’s voice cuts through, deep and full of authority. “Max, answer your father when he speaks to you.”

“Yes, please,” Max finally says and this time he actually looks at Magnus when he says it. 

“I’ll be right back then.” Magnus goes to the kitchen and quickly pours the hot chocolate he’s had warming on the stove into four mugs. He tops them off with marshmallows and carefully carries them on the tray. 

Rafael and Max take their mugs with thankful smiles and Magnus drops into the seat beside Alec, laying his head on Alec’s shoulder. He doesn’t know what Max’s deal is today but he hopes that the hot chocolate will warm him up enough to stop him from giving Magnus the cold shoulder. 

Alec’s hand finds Magnus’ and he laces their fingers together, bringing them up for a kiss. 

Max narrows his eyes on them and sets his mug down, clearing his throat. “Papa…”

Magnus sits up and tucks his legs beside him. “Yes?” he responds before sipping carefully at his hot chocolate.

“Why were you kissing Santa Claus last night?”

Alec coughs beside him, choking on his hot chocolate and Magnus carefully swallows his mouthful. “Uh…”

“Oh dear,” Rafael sighs quietly to himself.

Magnus freezes, staring dumbfounded because he honestly doesn’t know what else he can do and he doesn’t know how to answer this question. Rafael is staring at the empty space in front of him, straight-faced, and Alec looks just as shocked as Magnus feels. 

“What are you talking about, Max?” Alec asks once he regains his composure.

Max shrugs his shoulder and then sips at his hot chocolate, making a loud slurping sound before he finally sets his mug down and looks at Alec. “I saw Papa kissing Santa Claus under the missile toes last night,” he says again. “ _ And,  _ he was tickling him too.”

“I… uh…” Magnus presses his lips together to keep himself from laughing. Of all the ways they expected little Max to find out the truth about Santa, Magnus didn’t think it would be because he got caught making out with Santa Claus under the mistletoe. 

Alec’s covers his mouth, hiding a grin, his cheeks turning a soft pink. He coughs once and then composes himself. “Max, what were you doing out of bed? You were supposed to be sleeping.”

“I heard a noise.” Max looks offended now as if his dads aren’t taking this as seriously as he is. “I thought Papa’s kisses were only for you, Daddy.” 

Alec chuckles. Magnus elbows him gently in his ribs and then goes over to where Max is sitting, he takes a seat beside him, grateful that Max doesn’t pull away this time.

“Papa’s kisses  _ are _ only for your daddy. You’re right about that, my Blueberry,” Magnus says gently, brushing a stray curl away from Max’s eyes. “And for you and your brother, of course.”

Max pouts. “Then why were you kissing Santa? He’s so old.”

Magnus laughs.  “I wasn’t kissing Santa, Max, I was kissing your daddy.”

“But—” Max’s mouth opens and closes and he looks between Magnus and Alec and then at Rafael when Rafael laughs.

“I told you it was just Dad,” Rafael says with a smug smirk.

“But why was Daddy wearing Santa’s outfit?”

Magnus looks to Alec, he’s going to let Alec take this one, maybe there’s a way to still salvage the magic of Christmas.

Alec scratches at his brow. “Well, I was just playing dress-up.”

Max quirks his head. “Why? Are you one of Santa’s helpers?!” He doesn’t let Alec answer before his mouth hangs open with a shriek. his eyes are sparkling with excitement when he looks at Magnus. “Daddy is one of Santa’s helpers, isn’t he!?"

“Yep,” Rafael answers for them. “Sorry, Papa. Sorry, Dad, but I think Max is old enough to know the secret of Christmas.” 

“Raf—” Alec begins but stops when Rafael scoots in closer to Max and leans in to whisper. 

“You see, Max, all daddies, papas, and mommies are Santa’s helpers. It’s a big big world and there’s a lot of kids so Santa is a busy guy. He brings the gifts and it’s up to the parents to put them under the tree. When you’re a parent one day, you’ll be Santa’s helper too.”

Magnus finds himself speechless. He looks at Alec and Alec is sitting there, wide-eyed with a nervous half-smile on his lips because their twelve year old son just saved them—and Christmas. 

Max lets out a soft “Wow, that’s so cool!”

“It is,” Rafael agrees with a grin. “Now drink your hot chocolate so we can open the rest of the presents.” He looks up at Magnus from over Max’s head and winks at him.

“Okay,” Max agrees and just like that, his foul mood is gone. “But first”—Max gets up and throws himself in Magnus’ arms, wrapping them tightly around his waist and squeezes—“I’m sorry for being mad at you, Papa.”

Magnus lifts Max higher into his arms and plants the biggest kiss on his cheek. “Well, you thought I had kissed the real Santa Claus, so I think you had a good reason.”

Max giggles. “That was silly of me. You love Daddy too much to kiss Santa Claus.”

Magnus nods. “You’re absolutely right.”

Max kisses him quickly on the nose and smiles, a toothless grin. “Merry Christmas, Papa.” And with that he jumps out of Magnus’ lap and goes back to his brother.

Magnus gets up from the floor and makes his way back to Alec. The boys talk softly between each other and drink their hot chocolate. Rafael shares his marshmallows with Max and everything is peaceful and perfect.

“Did our twelve year old son just save Christmas?” Alec asks Magnus under his breath.

Magnus raises his mug to his lips and sips carefully. “Yep. We owe him— _ big time. _ ”

Alec agrees. 

“Daddy?”

Alec and Magnus look up to see Max watching them curiously, a strip of chocolate across his upper lip. 

“Yes, Max?”

“Do you have to dress up like Santa to be his helper? Is that a rule?”

Alec laughs softly and shakes his head. He drapes an arm around Magnus’ shoulder and pulls him in closer than before. “No, your Papa just likes it.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Just a little something small I wrote for fun because kids, Christmas, Malec, and Christmas magic :)
> 
>  
> 
> Merry Christmas!
> 
> -xoxo


End file.
